First timer in need of some expertise.

[Zet]

First time builder Building a AMD system mostly for malfunction, but
games as well. This is what I'm working with Hope you more
professional Guys can tell me if they are compatible I think I have it
right, but I'd like to have another opinion. Thanks.

RAIDMAX AZTEC ATX-619WY Black/ Yellow 1.0mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower
Foldout MB Computer Case

AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor
(with heatsink and fan)

Foxconn A7DA-S 3.0 AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

SAPPHIRE 100225L Radeon HD 3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR4 PCI Express 2.0
x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card

OCZ Reaper 4096MB PC10666 DDR3 1333MHz Memory (2x2048MB)

ThermalTake / PurePower W0100RU / 500-Watt / ATX 2.0 / 120mm Fan /
20/24-Pin / SATA-Ready / PCI-E Ready / Power Supply

Lite On IHES206-08 Blu-ray Disc Reader with DVD Writer Combo - 6x BD-
ROM, 16X DVD+R, 8X DVD+RW, 16X DVD-R, 6x DVD-RW, SATA, Lightscribe

HP DVD1170I DVDRW SATA Drive - DVD+R 22x, DVD+RW 8X, DVD-RW 6x, DVD-
RAM 12x, Lightscribe

2x WD Caviar 500GB Serial ATA HD 7200/8MB/SATA-3G

SABRENT CRW-UINB 68-in-1 USB 2.0 Internal Card Reader w/ USB 2.0 Port
supports SDHC/VISTA

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound

 

[Paul]

First time builder Building a AMD system mostly for malfunction, but
games as well. This is what I'm working with Hope you more
professional Guys can tell me if they are compatible I think I have it
right, but I'd like to have another opinion. Thanks.

RAIDMAX AZTEC ATX-619WY Black/ Yellow 1.0mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower
Foldout MB Computer Case

AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor
(with heatsink and fan)

Foxconn A7DA-S 3.0 AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

SAPPHIRE 100225L Radeon HD 3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR4 PCI Express 2.0
x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card

OCZ Reaper 4096MB PC10666 DDR3 1333MHz Memory (2x2048MB)

ThermalTake / PurePower W0100RU / 500-Watt / ATX 2.0 / 120mm Fan /
20/24-Pin / SATA-Ready / PCI-E Ready / Power Supply

Lite On IHES206-08 Blu-ray Disc Reader with DVD Writer Combo - 6x BD-
ROM, 16X DVD+R, 8X DVD+RW, 16X DVD-R, 6x DVD-RW, SATA, Lightscribe

HP DVD1170I DVDRW SATA Drive - DVD+R 22x, DVD+RW 8X, DVD-RW 6x, DVD-
RAM 12x, Lightscribe

2x WD Caviar 500GB Serial ATA HD 7200/8MB/SATA-3G

SABRENT CRW-UINB 68-in-1 USB 2.0 Internal Card Reader w/ USB 2.0 Port
supports SDHC/VISTA

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound

I hope that fan thingy is removable.

http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/productimage/11-156-188-06.jpg

This feature is convenient.

http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/productimage/11-156-188-19.jpg

Your motherboard is here. I would have preferred a CPU support list
in black and white, so I can see what processors are supported.
I tried looking in the BIOS download section, to see if there is any
mention of CPU types, but there are no release notes to speak of.

http://www.foxconnchannel.com/product/Motherboards/detail_overview.aspx?ID=en-us0000444

Download page. Pretty ugly presentation of download links.

http://www.foxconnsupport.com/downl...00444&category=C000000001&series=en-us0000012

112 page user manual. So you get more than a quick start guide.
This should answer most of your questions.

http://www.foxconnchannel.com/drive...DA-S3.0\Manual\EN\A7DA 3.0-Manual-En-v1.1.zip

The only opportunity for confusion I can see, is whether to use AHCI
mode for disks or not. AHCI would allow hot plugging for the ESATA port
on the back of the computer. You'd press F6 during Windows install, to
install an AHCI driver.

Apparently, the SB750 Southbridge has six SATA ports (one dedicated to
ESATA on the back of the computer) and a single IDE connector. So
in this case, there is no need for a separate chip to give the IDE
connector for older drives. I guess that is one less driver to
worry about. (IDE driver already in Windows likely works.)

Paul

 

[Bob Knowlden]

I haven't used most of the components that you list, but I'd guess they're
OK. I have a few suggestions, though:

The Radeon HD3870 is older technology. You could probably get a 4830 for
roughly the same price, and I think that it would have significantly better
gaming performance. A 4850 might be even better, and not a lot more
expensive. I'd suggest a 4770, but they seem to be scarce-to-unobtainable.
(The 4770 uses a 40 nm graphics processor.)

Personally, I'd avoid the Lite-On drive. I know they're popular, but I have
had a couple of drives from them with short lives. Maybe I was just unlucky.
The 8X drive from Pioneer is highly regarded, but more expensive (not
ridiculously so). For less expensive drives, maybe LG is worth a try. (I've
had good luck with an LG BD-ROM/DVD-RW combo drive, but it only reads BD
disks; it's a burner only for DVD and CD. I've only had it for about 8
months, though.)

Arctic Silver 5 is good, but it's a bit fussy about how it's used. Read the
detailed instructions available at the company's web site. Some people
prefer "Ceramique" from the same company. It's a purely dielectric compound
(no metal particles), so there is nearly zero concern about getting it on
circuitry. (My last build, I used Arctic Alumina.) I have the impression
that the differences between the various thermal compounds are measurable,
but that the practical differences are almost negligible, if the compound is
kept as thin as possible.

Hope this helps.

 

[geoff]

Leo LaPorte said over the weekend that you should only build for the fun of
it but not to save money. He said/claims that the profit margins for Dell
are razor thin and the same computer would be cheaper at dell (and assembled
and tested).

The scratch and dent section has even lower prices for new or recertified
machines.

So, your first question is to ask yourself why you want to build your own.

--g

 

[John Doe]

Leo LaPorte said over the weekend that you should only build for
the fun of it but not to save money.

And for learning about the system. And after continuously
upgrading/updating your computer, you end up with a machine that
is precisely tailored to your needs.

He said/claims that the profit margins for Dell are razor thin
and the same computer would be cheaper at dell (and assembled
and tested).

Yup. They buy parts 10,000s at a time and they use an
assembly-line.

 

[Fishface]

Leo LaPorte said over the weekend that you should only build for the fun of
it but not to save money. He said/claims that the profit margins for Dell
are razor thin and the same computer would be cheaper at dell (and assembled
and tested).

The scratch and dent section has even lower prices for new or recertified
machines.

So, your first question is to ask yourself why you want to build your own.

That may be true for the bottom feeder computers, but for a mid to upper
range computer built with quality parts and value achieved through a little
overclocking, they can't touch it.

 

[Fishface]

The Radeon HD3870 is older technology. You could probably get a 4830 for
roughly the same price, and I think that it would have significantly better
gaming performance. A 4850 might be even better, and not a lot more
expensive. I'd suggest a 4770, but they seem to be scarce-to-unobtainable.
(The 4770 uses a 40 nm graphics processor.)

I saw an HD 4870 at Newegg this week for $125. I think I would scrimp on
one of the optical drives and get one of those, instead. Tom's hardware
lists the HD 4830 one tier above the HD 3870.

www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-price,2323-6.html

Personally, I'd avoid the Lite-On drive. I know they're popular, but I have
had a couple of drives from them with short lives. Maybe I was just unlucky.

I've had several Lite-Ons fail, as well.

You might try to get a Blu-Ray drive bundled with PowerDVD. Otherwise, you
can add the not insignificant expense of player software.

 

[Thomas Wendell]

Comment inline

First time builder Building a AMD system mostly for malfunction, but
games as well. This is what I'm working with Hope you more
professional Guys can tell me if they are compatible I think I have it
right, but I'd like to have another opinion. Thanks.

RAIDMAX AZTEC ATX-619WY Black/ Yellow 1.0mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower
Foldout MB Computer Case

AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor
(with heatsink and fan)

Foxconn A7DA-S 3.0 AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

SAPPHIRE 100225L Radeon HD 3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR4 PCI Express 2.0
x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card

OCZ Reaper 4096MB PC10666 DDR3 1333MHz Memory (2x2048MB)

As per the product data on their homepage, that MB takes DDR2 memory, so
this is not suitable
http://www.foxconnchannel.com/product/motherboards/detail_spec.aspx?ID=en-us0000402

 

[Paul]

Comment inline



As per the product data on their homepage, that MB takes DDR2 memory, so
this is not suitable
http://www.foxconnchannel.com/product/motherboards/detail_spec.aspx?ID=en-us0000402

I think that is the wrong page for the motherboard. The model
number posted by the OP, includes "3.0" on the end of the
part number, which is the DDR3 version.

A7DA-S 3.0
http://www.foxconnchannel.com/product/Motherboards/detail_overview.aspx?ID=en-us0000444

Paul

 

[Rarius]

The Radeon HD3870 is older technology. You could probably get a 4830 for
roughly the same price, and I think that it would have significantly
better gaming performance. A 4850 might be even better, and not a lot
more expensive. I'd suggest a 4770, but they seem to be
scarce-to-unobtainable. (The 4770 uses a 40 nm graphics processor.)

I fully support Bob's comments about the Radeon cards. The 4850 is a far
superior card to the 3850. You may even be able to get a 4870 if you
wait a week or two. I bought a 4850 a month ago and the 4870 is now
being advertised for only a few quid more!

I would suggest getting the XFX HD4850 XXX Edition (or another with an
improved cooler). The stock cooler on Radeon cards are barely adequate
and the cards run rather hot. My XXX Edition runs at below 50C on full
load... stock cooled 4850s often reach 80C!

Personally, I'd avoid the Lite-On drive. I know they're popular, but I
have had a couple of drives from them with short lives. Maybe I was just
unlucky. The 8X drive from Pioneer is highly regarded, but more
expensive (not ridiculously so). For less expensive drives, maybe LG is
worth a try. (I've had good luck with an LG BD-ROM/DVD-RW combo drive,
but it only reads BD disks; it's a burner only for DVD and CD. I've only
had it for about 8 months, though.)

I too have had good experiences with LG optical drives. I have two
installed now and have had them in previous machines for years.

Rarius

 

[Thomas Wendell]

Oops, yes, maybe I'd better get new glasses.... (of fine spirits )